The Herald will feature Position 5 in tomorrow's paper. Since the article will be heavily edited, here are my full and unedited answers to their questions. Please refer to my website, or email me, for my positions, experience, and goals.
1) The school board will be selecting a new superintendent this school year. What qualities do you think the new superintendent should have? How much public involvement should there be in the selection?
Our new superintendent will need to carry on the open door policy of Dr. Vedra, being willing to meet with parents, teachers, and other stakeholders whenever needed. S/he will need to be comfortable working outside a traditional hierarchical system, and moving within and between community networks in Bellingham. S/he will need to be part politician and part salesperson, able to assess the mood and desires of the public and then handle the public relations necessary to get the community to buy in on issues like budget cuts, new schools, and curriculum changes.
The public, including voters, parents, and teachers, must have a major role in the selection of the new superintendent. For our new superintendent to have the support s/he needs in a difficult economy, s/he must have the support of all stakeholders. The new superintendent can not be seen as someone chosen by the School Board, but must be someone chosen by our larger community. So a search committee must be large enough to accommodate all interested parties and to command the respect of the School Board. It will be a tough job, and the chair of the search committee will need our absolute support.
2) Many education leaders in the state expect current budget issues to continue, if not get worse, over the next couple of school years. How will you help ensure that all students are being served while trimming expenses?
In addition to trimming expenses, we must also identify other sources of funding for the school district. Even if new income for the district can be obtained, we will still face spending cuts for the near future. To protect students and ensure that all students are being served, we must recognize that different students and different schools have different needs. It will be necessary to focus resources on schools and students who are not meeting grade level expectations, schools without passing WASL scores, schools with more students on the free school lunch program. As new curricula are phased in, as all-day kindergarten is phased in, as we make choices about buildings and infrastructure, we must first care for the most vulnerable students in our district.
3) Do you think the Bellingham School District has enough schools to meet the needs of all students? Are there too many schools? Do you think the schools are geographically located through the community in a way that makes sense? Why or why not?
Although we have enough schools to meet our needs for the next year or two, it is predicting the future that is always the problem. How many schools will we need in the future, and where should they be built?
For our next elementary school, our priority should be Sudden Valley: an existing neighborhood whose children must currently be transported long distances from home. There is controversy over the Aldrich Road site, and it may be an ideal spot for a school, in the more distant future. Immediately, we can get kids off school buses and keep kids in their own neighborhood by moving forward with the Sudden Valley elementary school.
As a community, we have committed ourselves to principles of limiting our suburban growth, promoting infill, and reducing car trips by making our city more friendly to bicyclists and pedestrians. As we decide where to site new schools, we should support our city's plans. Rather than building schools on the edge of town, hoping that homes and neighborhoods will be built around the schools, we should approach the issue with innovative planning and construction, supporting neighborhoods which already exist, and promoting the goals of our city planners.
I will also support elimination of our dependence upon “portable” or “relocatable” classrooms. When making decisions about new buildings, we should first get kids out of these inadequate buildings and into permanent schools with restrooms, windows, and covered or interior hallways. A small child should not have to run through the rain to make a trip to the restroom. Bellingham has shown over and over again how much we care for our children. We can do better, and we will do better.
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